For all of you not excited about serving a traditional pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, we suggest playwright Lillian Hellman’s peach cobbler, seen here being prepared by Executive Chef John Melfi of The Oval Room Restaurant in Washington, DC. The video is the first of six in the “Cooking with Lillian” series, produced by Arena Stage as part of its Lillian Hellman Festival.
In part 2 of the series, Molly Smith, Artistic Director of Arena Stage, got into the kitchen to make Hellman’s red beans and rice recipe.
The recipes are from the playwright’s 1984 cook book Eating Together: Recipes and Recollections, which is still available. Amazon reviewers’ favorites, from among her recipes collected from friends and travels, include her Mississippi Mud chocolate cake with bourbon and almonds and how to make proper scrambled eggs.
So if talk around your table this Thanksgiving will likely drift to the clash of politics and cultural, why not end on this comfort dish from one of Broadway’s most celebrated writers, Lillian Hellman, who undoubtedly served it to guests from her kitchen at Hardscrapple Farm.
What’s your favorite holiday recipe?
